Cardiff's possession lead meets the finishing problem against Charlton

Cardiff City reach Saturday's home game with Charlton Athletic top of the Championship for average possession and 21st in the table. Seven league matches have brought four points, no wins, seven goals scored and 11 conceded. Charlton arrive sixth on 12 points after three wins, three draws and one defeat.

Control has not become enough goals

API-Football gives Cardiff an average 65% of the ball across seven league matches, the highest share among the 24 clubs. The five Cardiff games in the division pool that carry expected-goals data produced four goals from chances valued at 8.32. That sample does not cover all seven matches, but it shows why possession alone has not moved Cardiff out of the bottom four.

Barry-Murphy asks for composure

Brian Barry-Murphy told Cardiff City's own media that performances against Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers were among the side's best, while accepting that Cardiff must turn chances into goals and wins. He said the players have to remain calm around the box and improve Cardiff's decision-making, adding that some recent shots came from areas Cardiff would not normally choose.

Joel Colwill made the same distinction between performance and outcome. He said Cardiff have created plenty of chances and need to be more clinical, while backing the goals to follow if that supply continues. The fixture begins at 12:30 BST at Cardiff City Stadium. The five meetings returned by API-Football all pre-date this season, with the most recent a 0-0 draw in June 2020, so the old meetings offer little evidence about Saturday's sides.